


In the dark

by Bitterblue



Series: Dark and Light [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 15:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5252801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitterblue/pseuds/Bitterblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An evening in Diamond City where (for once) Blue isn't cold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the dark

It's colder now than it used to be, you think. It's hard to be sure, but there's a distinct lack of foliage that could act as an insulator, plus the haze that lingers more days than not. Then again, maybe it's your clothes. You would have had a proper neo-wool coat, with layers and gloves and scarves to keep you warm. Realistically, the gear you've picked up—scattered bits of armour, layers of leather over your vault jumpsuit—just isn't as helpful as a down coat, or indoor heating. You miss indoor heating a lot. Trudging across the wasteland keeps you warm  _enough_ , but it's worlds away from curling up with a book and cocoa.

There are enough people in Diamond City for it to hit a critical mass of warmth on its own, a welcome relief as you and Piper trudge through the muddy gates. You follow her inside Publick Occurrences, pulling off the heaviest of your armour as Nat throws herself at Piper in a hug. The sheepish-proud grin Piper flashes you before hugging her sister back warms you more than anything else has lately. Better, even, than cocoa used to.

It's late when you finally get Nat to go to bed, after hours of stories of your adventures (Piper's versions embellished with imagined feats of daring) and an indulgent, rare mug of a warm herbal tea (you don't ask Piper  _what_  herbs, and it tastes like mint). You're warm, now, and tired. It's nice to feel safe. It's almost as difficult as warm to come by, lately.

"Hey, sleepy. Why don't you head upstairs? Take my bed tonight. I think you need the rest." Piper's smiling in a soft way that makes you feel warmer, one hand reaching down to you as she stands in front of the bench you've sat on all evening.

"I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed," you say, taking her hand and standing. There is a breathless moment when you almost decide not to let go. You do, though, fingers burning. Piper's smile turns a little wry.

"You're not kicking me out if I've  _offered_ , Blue. You do need the rest, more than I do. I'll sleep down here with Nat."

There's a feeling that you've had a few times, during some of the more intense fights you've found yourself in, where time seems to slow down and you can see all of your choices stretching out before you. It feels a little like that now, all the choices of how you could respond trailing out into a series of similar-but-not-quite futures. Piper's still smiling, if increasingly faintly, and she's close enough for you to feel her body heat. It doesn't quite feel like a decision as you find yourself saying, "It's cold, and your bed's bigger. You  _could_  sleep with me. If you wanted."

Her expression turns slightly incredulous, a flustered blush blooming across freckled cheeks. "I mean. Uh. I. I could. I could do that. Yeah. That'd be...that'd be very efficient. Body-heat wise. Makes sense. For sure. That's a thing. I could do." You can't help but smile.

"It's just sharing a bed, Piper."

You step past her, to the foot of the stairs, and can just barely hear her mutter under her breath as you walk up, "Yeah. Just sharing a bed. I share beds with my hot friends  _all_  the time. No big deal."

The bed is maybe a little smaller than you'd remembered it being, when you reach the top and see it again, but you only have yourself to blame and you're certainly not going to back out, now. It'll be a little easier, though, with your armour off, so you reach up to unbuckle it. After a moment, you hear Piper on the stairs, hear her pause at the top, hear the quick intake of breath that makes your pulse rush in response.

And then, close behind you, her fingers gently pushing yours away, "I got it. Easier for someone else to do. Lucky you." She has the layers of leather off with practiced, nimble fingers much faster than you could have done on your own, it's true, though you can't help but find your mind drifting elsewhere. You slide the last piece of your chest protection off, turning to set it aside in a corner, and catch sight of Piper, undoing her coat and scarf. You reach over and tug her hat off, putting it on and grinning at the startled look she gives you.

"You look good, Blue," she says, voice cracking in the middle. She's still red-faced, and you can feel yourself starting to blush, too, as she leans towards you and takes her hat back. Her fingers linger near your hair, not quite touching, before she drops her hand like she's been scalded, tossing the hat onto her small dresser. Not meeting your eyes, Piper slips out of her coat and scarf. Her shirt and jeans, underneath, have seen much better days—you're not really sure how old they must be. You're just starting to wonder where clothing manufacturing happens in a world without all the synthetic fabrics you had known, and without the raw materials older things had once been made from, particularly given that you haven't found a factory in working condition since you left the vault, when Piper reaches down and undoes the button at the waist of her jeans.  _That_  catches your attention. You breathe in sharply, and she looks up, face reddening all over again. "I…"

"Sorry," you mumble, turning to face the back wall. You don't have anything to change into, and the jumpsuit is comfortable enough to sleep in once you've got the armour off. Behind you, Piper's clothes rustle and then the ancient bed creaks as she sits down. Taking this as a cue, you turn back to find Piper, laying uncomfortably in her own bed, the thin blanket she owns pulled up to her chin, smiling nervously.

"I  _could_  go downstairs," she offers again, though you don't  _think_  it sounds like she wants to.

"I don't mind sharing. Not with you. As long as  _you_  don't mind." You sit. The bed is twin-size, too small to really hold two adults. You're both painfully aware of that.

"I've had worse. But at least sleep laying down like a normal person. Or did you all sleep sitting up, before the war?" You lay down, on your side, facing her. Piper drapes the blanket over you, too, as she continues to tease you. "Did you have special chairs for it? Sleeping lying down was old-fashioned?"

Piper's knees are pressed to yours. They're bare. You try to remember what she was saying, but the pause of your distraction lingers in the air. "I...I slept in a  _bed_ , Piper. Same as you."

She snorts. "Ha. I don't know if I believe that. I've seen you. You'd wander day and night if you wouldn't just  _collapse_  from the effort. You need someone to watch your back. Make sure you get in a nap sometimes."

At this distance you can see every shade in her eyes, deep and warm. "I thought that's why I've got you." Her eyebrows raise a little, mouth pulling into a startled smile. You have never wanted to kiss anyone as much as you want to kiss Piper Wright, erstwhile reporter, right this moment. You smile shakily, and rest your fingertips on her arm. "It might be a little easier to sleep if you turn onto your side. We'll fit better." She sighs, a soft  _oh_  of a breath, and shifts onto her side, her back towards you. For a long pause, you consider her shoulders, the curve of her neck. The warmth of her is impossible to resist, though, and you slide your arm around her waist and pull her into you. "Like this."

Piper shivers, and you don't think it's because of the cold. Still, you pull the blanket tighter around you both. You lay in a more comfortable silence for a little while, warmer than you can remember feeling in forever.

"Goodnight, Blue," she whispers into the darkness. You lean forward, pressing your lips to the top knob of her spine. She sighs again, and you feel her relax against you.

"Goodnight, love" you whisper back, but she's already asleep. Finally warm, you dream of her.


End file.
